Bottle packaging machine



Oct 10, 1950 J. cATToNAR E TAL 2,524,880

- BOTTLE PACKAGING MACHINE File Aug. 7, 1946 6 sneetsfsheet'l 77 E '77a E E E 77a FIG l l, 76 77 76 l: l:

76a 50a505 50 7 72 72 lm n nlm nlm nm nlm, mm lr u lumi lluv iiW Illu i 'E' I Il nu uu rlulmI 1.111l 52 40a i 405 I INVENTORS Joy/v GATTO/VAR ann GEORGE OLH THF/K A TTRNEY Oct. 10, 1950 i .1. CATTQNAR Erm. 2,524,880

BOTTLE PACKAGING MACHINE INVENTOR.)1 Jo/-l/V (ATTO/W1K my Ga-oae ULM Fles Cfyf@ THE/A? A TT ORNE Y Oct. l0, 1950 J. cAT'roNAR ETAL BOTTLE PACKAGING MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Aug. '7, 1946 lllill Vllxllllllll Oct. l0, 1950 J. cATToNAR ETAL BOTTLE PACKAGING MACHINE 6 Sheets--Sheei'I 5 Filed Aug. 7, 1946 l N VEN TOR' Jef/N GATTO/VAR and GEORGE 0M BY l C. f. 9W@ -rf/E/e ATTORNEY Oct. 10, 195.0 J. cA'rToNAR Erm. 2,524,880

- BOTTLE PACKAGING MACHINE Filed Aug'. r7, 1946 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTo-Rs..

Jo/-l/V @ATTO/VAR and GEORGE ULM THe/R ATTORNEY i I BY Patented ct. O,

lJohn Cattonar, Jamaica, and George Olm, Astoria, N. Y., assignors to Edward Ermold Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application August 7,1946, serial No. 689,070

. s Claims. (C1. 214mm' This invention relates' to packaging machines, in which bottles are received from suitable conveyors andthen inserted into empty cases or crates, which cases or crates when lled are removed automatically from the packaging machines.

In such machines, the bottles, after having been positioned to be gripped bylgripping mechanisms, were gripped bythe same, and inserted into the cells of the cases or crates. The grippers were spring operated and the springs, either because of varying composition of the steel or with the run oi time, weakened and did not perform up to expectation, thereby impairing the efilciency of the machine.

The object of theinvention is to provide posi tively o-perating and actuated pairs ofv jaws, set in open or closed position alternately, and changed from open to closed position, and from closed to open position, at definite predetermined periods, in a manner that all jaws are actua-ted at the Sametime; At the same time, during such a positive gripping action, the jaws must have some resiliency at their gripping portions, to adapt the ends of the jaws to the neck of the bottle, andrcontact itv at four or more points.

For this purpose, the invention consists of a pair of jaws, a support for the same, a pivot for oneend of each jaw on said support, a cam-plate within the jaws, and positive means on the jaws acting in predetermined relation with saidgcam plate, whereby inione relative position of the jaws and cam plate, the jaws are open to receive a bottle neck, and in another relative position ci the jaws and cam plate the jaws are closedv to grip the bottle neck..A In theembodiment heref with shown and described, the lower ends of the jaws are provided with spring pressed balls which engage the outer contour of the bottle neck' to provide a yieldability to the gripping action.

The invention consists further in providing means for changing the relative positions of the jaws and cam plate. These means consist'ess'enl 2 the bottle from the jaws, and then the return ascent of the open jaws to a position to again enter into the cycle of operation just described. For this purpose, the sleeve and rod are provided respectively with collars which at certain times abut against that horizontal frame member tially of a sleeve connected with the support for the jaws, and a rod connected withV the cam plate, said sleeve beinglcon'nected with onehorizont'al frame member and the rod being intermittently connected'with another horizontal frame inem-` ber, the two horizontal frame members being vertically raised orlowered, each at a different rate of speed in timed sequency with the feeding into and between a pair'of jaws of a bottle, and with the jawspperatin'gin a cycle, first with a gripping action of the jaws, then a descent with the gripped bottle, theri a subsequent release of which travels at the low rate of speed. Finally actuating means for the frame supports are provided which are cam controlled, to carry out the aforesaid cycle oi operations.

In the embodiment shown and described, two aligned pairs` of jaws are disposed, each pair to grip one bottle, and thereby load two bottles at Vthe same time into the case or crate, and a certain number of such groups of two pairs of jaws each are laterally disposed from each other, to correspond with the number of cells or pockets, in one row of the case to be loaded, whereby two rows of bottles may be loaded into the case in one cycle of the machine, namely two rows of six bottles each, or half a case containing four rows of cells or twenty-four cells. If desired, the group may be arranged to contain three or four pairs of jaws, and the number of groups, laterally disposed, may also be different from six, so as to ll or load an entire-case in one cycle of the machine. The invention will be more fully described hereinafter, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, and the invention will be specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a iront View of the improved machine; Fig. 2 is a partial iront View showing the initial position, with the jaws open; Y

Fig. 3 is the same view as Fig. 2, showing the 'rst advanced position of all parts therein in the cycle of operation, with vthe jaws closed; 1

Fig 4 is the same View as Fig. 2, showing the position of all parts therein just after the jaws have been reopened;

Fig. 5 is a front View of the jaws, opened to release the bottle;

Fig. 6 is a side View of the parts corresponding tothe positionA shown in Fig. 2;

Fig'. 7 is a side view of the parts taken on line lf-1 of Fig. 1, corresponding to the position of Fig. 3;

Fig. 8 is a section ing the sleeve;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged view of Fig. 7, partly in section showing also the gripper jaws;

Fig. l0 is a front view of the parts shown in Fig. 9, corresponding to the position of the parts shown in Fig. 3;

ofthe spring held ball engag- Fig. 11 is a front View of the jaws showing the open position of the same, corresponding to thek position of the parts shown in Fig.

Fig. 12 is a horizontal section taken on line |2-I2 ofFig. 1;

Fig. 13 is a front View of the spring held ball in the gripper jaws;

Figs. 14, and 16 are views showing the different positions of the cam, corresponding to the positions of Figs. 3, 4 and 5.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the Various views.

Referring to the drawings, the jaws I0 are pivoted at Il at their upper ends to a holder I2. The jaws extend downwardly to ends I3 which ends are provided with bottle gripping balls I4 seated inA springs I5 held in sleeves I6 in screw threaded sockets I1 of the ends I3 of the jaws Ill (Fig. 12) The diameter of the ball E4 is slightly larger than the diameter of the open end o1 the sleeve I6, requiring a slight pressure on the ball to pass the walls forming the opening. The balls grip the bottle neck below the neck rim I8 of the bottles I9. Within each of the jaws I, a bracket is provided, each of which brackets 2|) extends inwardly and at its inner. end supports a roller 2| rotatably mounted on a pin 22.

Within the jaws I0, a plate having a cam slot 26 is arranged. This cam slot 26 is bifurcated, forming a wedge 21 to separate the rollers 2 I, the continued passage of the rollers 2| in the cam slot 26 causing the rollers 2| to seat in the lower curved ends 28 of the cam slot. This position of the rollers in the cam slot corresponds to the open position of the jaws, as shown in Fig. l1. When the plate 25 is in its other extreme position, the rollers 2| are near the upper curved ends 29 of the cam slot, that is, the rollers 2| are closely together, as shown in Fig. 12, and the jaws are closed. The relative movement of cam plate and jaws takes place, and the holding of the jaws in open or in closed position takes place, under positive or controlled action and without springs.

The jaws convey the bottles from an upper level to which they are fed and there supported by a trap floor as described in U. S. Letters Patent No. 2,277,688 of March 31, 1942, to a lower level where they are released by the jaws, and dropped into the cases or crates, guided into their assigned places in the case by the spring leaves 15 (Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 5).

For that purpose, the jaws must be brought over the neck of the bottle in open position, then closed to grip the neck of the bottle, and convey the bottle downwardly to the lower level, when the jaws are opened for the release of the bottles. Immediately thereafter the jaws will return to the upper level while still in their open position and will remain so until they reach the last portion of their upward travel, at which time they will again close and grip the neck of the bottles for the next bottle-lowering operation..

To provide relative movement of the rollers 2|, and plate 25, the cam plate 25 is secured to a vertical rod 3| which slides in a sleeve 32 fastened to the holder I2. The rod 3| extends upwardly and has its upper end secured to a horizontal bracket 33 (Fig. 9) loosely mounted between collar 34 and nut 34a. A pin 35 through the lower portion of collar 34 connects the collar 34 with a rod 38 which is slidably inserted in the sleeve 31. Slots 3S cut in the sleeve 31 will allow a certain amount of Vertical motion to the pin 35, while the rod 38 slides in sleeve 31. This g sleeve 31 has its lower end secured to a horizontal plate or frame member 38a, which supports the sleeve 32 into which the cam plate rod 3| slides.

As the embodiment shown, provides for two bottles to be lowered at the same time, the bracket 33 extends diametrically opposite beyond the collar 34, and supports a pair of cam plate rods 3|, and the plate 38a supports a pair of spaced sleeves 32 with each of which a pair of the jaws l0 are connected through the support I2. The lower part of Fig. 9 shows the exterior of one of the pairs of jaws and the interior of one of the other pairs'of jaws. To permit the passage of a bottle through the front pair of jaws, shown on the left of Fig. 9, to a position in the jaws on the right of Fig. 9, the jaws ID in Fig. 12, are provided with extensions Ia, and disposed to form spaces Illb. The furthest inward pair of jaws l0 have at their inward portions inwardly extending parts |00, to prevent the bottle from moving beyond the same (Fig. 12).

Immediately above the collar 34, the upper end of the sleeve 31 passes through the frame member 40 (Figs. 6 and 7).

The sleeve 31 is provided with vertically spaced grooves 4| each intermittently engaged by a ball 42 pressed by a spring 43 arranged in a tubular member 44 extending from a collar 45 surrounding the sleeve 31. A screw adjustment 46 to regulate the pressure of the spring is provided.

The sleeve 31 has two vertically disposed slots 52 diametrically opposite with each other. A pin 53 passes through the slots 52 and is secured to the collar 45 and to the rod 3B.

The sleeve 31 is secured at its upper end to a frame 50, by nuts 5|, one above and one below the frame 50.

The jaws ID are intended, as known, to carry the bottles from one horizontal level to a lower horizontal level, namely to the cases being lled. Thus, when the bottles, on the higher level, are placed in position for the gripping operation, the jaws are on the last portion of their upward motion and still open. During this last portion of their upward travel the jaws are closed thereby gripping the neck of the bottle and the upward motion of the gripping mechanism will cease. The trap floor operates to remove the support from under the bottles, and the jaws will start their downward movement with the bottles gripped between them until the bottles almost seat themselves on the bottom of the cases. The jaws are opened, and the jaws then reverse their vertical directional movement and return upwards while in open position. When they approach their upward position, a new supply of bottles have been positioned below the open jaws, when the jaws again will close, and repeat their operations as described.

To perform these operations, the machine, a front View of which is shown in Fig. 1, has its vertical standards 60, one on each side, supporting a table portion 6| to which the bottles are fed and aligned between guards 62. This table portion 6I is provided with a trap iloor (not shown, but shown and described in U. S. Letters Patent No. 2,332,058, as an example). The inner sides of the standards 60 are provided with racks 63, each engaged by a pinion 64 on a shaft 65, supported by a bracket 6B on a movable support 61, the lower part of which is connected with a lever 68, suitably connected with a follower 69 actuated by a cam 10 on a shaft 1| (Figs. 14, 15 and 16) lponv the support 6T and in a guide 51a is slidably mounted a rack 12 substantially parallel to rack 63 and also meshing with pinion 64. The support 61 has also arranged thereon a vertical spindle 13, which passes through the frame 4 and engages corresponding threaded nuts 'Ma in an extension 14 of the horizontal `frame member 40. The rack l2 has a gauge applied thereto, and the extension 14 has a pointer '15. The nuts 'Hic'.v enable the adjustment of the spacing of the frame member 4Q to be made and the gauge enables the amount of spacing to be read. The frame member 45- has a plurality of slots `4ta, through which bolts 4th pass to engage the collars 45e (Figs-1, 6 and 7). The boltwib and slot 4a permit a lateral adjustment of the coll-ar 40e between the parallel long sides 40ct of theirame memberv 4i! to be made.

The upper horizontal frame i) spaced above and parallel with the horizontal frame 43, has slots 55a, bolts 50h to engage collars 5c, and these serve also'for lateral spacing adjustment between the parallellong sides 50d of the frame 50, substantially as the lateral adjustment in the frame 45 therebelow (Figs. 1, 6 and 7).

YTheV frame 5: is supported at its ends by spindles l5 which pass through the ends of the frame, and the spindles are secured tothe frame 50 by upper and lower nuts '16a and 13b. The spindles 15 are supported by brackets 'El above and below which nuts 11a and 'Hb are provided and which engage the spindles 16. The bracket 'il is secured to the upper end of the rack 12. The spacing of the frame 53 in its proper relationship with frame 4t may there- 1 by be made, so as to suit the height of the bottle being handled.A

Finally, the leaf' springs are attached to a frame which travels up and down in timed synchronism with the bottle load. (See U. S.. Patent No. 2,332,058.) f

r'Ihe operation of the machine is as follows:

The position of the parts in their initial position is shown in Fig. 2. The jaws I are open, the infeeding of a pair of bottles from the front of the machine to the rear thereof, having placed a bottle neck between each pair of jaws l0 (see Fig. 3). This infeeding takes place while the follower E9 passes over thev circular portion 'V-18 of the cam l, which is concentric to the shaft 'H (Fig. lll). The cam lll then raises the follower 53 (Fig. 15) and the support Slis thereby raised from the position shown in Fig. 2 5to.

the position shown in Fig. 3. The frame 55 ascending, vertically moves the sleeve 31,- securedthereto, which sleeve 3l moves freely through the frame 40. But the'collar 34 which abuts against the lower surfaceof the collar 40o is retarded, consequently the pin 35, rod 38, bracket 33, rods 3l and cams 25 are also retarded by their temporary contact with the frame 40 which travels at a lower rate of speed than the frame member 53. At the same time, the frame member 5, sleeve 3l, platev 38a, the sleeves 32, brackets I2 and the jaws i0 continue at the higher rate of speed because of their direct connection with the sliding rack 12. The rollers 2| thereby enter the upper parts of the cam slots of the cam plate held by the lower end of the rod 3l. The jaws l0 are thereby closed as shown in Fig. 3 and grasp the bottle neck.

The cam follower 69 then descends on the cam, and in consequence the lever 68 descends, moving the pinion 64 downwards thereby causing the rack 12 to descend until the follower reaches its corresponding position of the parts being shownA in Fig. 4.

However, the frames and 50 are so adjusted inrespect to each other, that just when this lowest position is reached, the collar abuts against the upper surface of the collar de. The pin 53 of this collar 45 locked to the rod 38 retards the rod 38, but does not impede the downward movement of the sleeve 3l by reason of the slot 52, whereby the advancing sleeve 3l moves the jaws I5 downwardly and thereby the rollers 2l downwardly in the cam slot, and'against the cam 26, into the bifurcations, whereby the jaws i0 are opened as shown inFig. 11. The bottle drops. The time'elem'ent of this cam slot action, corresponds to the spacing between the two grooves 4l on the sleeve 3l, and the ball 42 is thereby moved into the upper groove 4| as shown in Fig. 8. The action of the spring 43 is suiiiciently strongto hold the ball 42 in the upper groove 4| of the sleeve 38, so that-the collar 45 locked to the rod 38 by means of pin 53 holds the rod 38 and sleeve 3l together so that they move together in their upward or return movement, whereby the jaws lil are maintained in their open position during the returning ascent.

Withthe abutting of the collar 34 against the lower surface of the collar 40e as in Fig. 3, the collar 45 by means of its direct connection with the collar 34, through the pin 53, rod 3B, and pin 35, is forced out of the upper groove 4l to the vlower'groove 4 ld.

rThe ascent and descent ofthe jaws with relation to the ascent and descent of the cams 25 i ygoverned by the relative motion of the frames 40- and 55 as positively set by the proper spacing, by means of the spindles 'i3 and 16. The jaws being open, until the follower reaches point 'Vlon the cam l', when for a time the frames do not ascend, during which time (the travel of the followeronthe cam from 'll to 18), a new set of bottles are positioned between the open jaws.

The cam position of Fig. 14 corresponds to the position of the parts in Fig. 3; the cam position of Fig. 15 corresponds to the position of the parts in Fig. 4, and cam position of Fig. 6 corresponds to the position of the parts. where the bottles are being released into the case.

Fig. 6 corresponds tol the position of the parts 1n Fig. 2, and Fig. 7 corresponds to the position of the parts in Fig. 3.

We have described several forms of our invention, but obviously various changes may be made in the details disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention as set out in the following claims.

We claim:

1. In a packaging machin-e, the combination of a pair of jaws, a support for the same, a pivot vshaft for one end of each jaw on said support, a

cam plate having cam grooves disposed within the jaws, positive means on each jaw acting on said plate in the groove thereof, and spring Vpressed balls at the tip of the jaws for providing a four point contact with the bottle, whereby in one relative position of the jaws and cam plate, the jaws are open to receive a bottle neck, and in another relative position of the jaws and cam plate the jaws are closed to grip the bottle neck.

2. In a packaging machine, the combination of a pair of superposed horizontal bars, a sleeve connected with the upper of said bars and passing through the lower horizontal bar, a rod movable within the sleeve, a cam plate connected with the rod, a jaw support connected with the sleeve, jaws on said jaw support, rollers on the jaws engaging the cam plate, a collar on said rod below the lower horizontal bar, a collar on said rod above the lower. horizontal bar, and means for vertically moving the horizontal bars including means for moving the upper horizontal bar faster than the lower horizontal bar, for moving the sleeve and rod in respect to each other for closing the jaws, when the lower collar abuts the lower side of the lower bar, and moving the closed jaws downwardly, then opening the jaws when the upper collar abuts the upper side of the lower bar, and moving the open jaws upwardly, said sleeve having vertically spaced grooves, and said upper collar having a ball intermittently engaging either groove, and a spring for the ball, the spring being sufliciently strong to prevent the sleeve and rod moving in respect to each other by the action of gravity. Y

3. In a packaging machine, the combination of at least two pairs of jaws, one of said pairs having curved opposed portions for receiving the neck of a bottle and parallel flanges on opposite sides of said curved portions, and the other pair of jaws having curved opposed portions for receiving the neck of a bottle, parallel inlet anges on one side of said curved portions adjacent to and substantially in alignment with the parallel lianges on one side of one of said pairs of jaws, and inwardly extending portions at the other end preventing the passage of a bottle neck.

4. In a packaging machine, the combination of` a support, a pair of gripping jaws connected to said support for relative opening and closing movement, cam means for positively closing said jaws, and spring urged balls in opposing faces of said jaws for resilient engagement with the neck of a bottle when said jaws are closed.

5. In a packaging machine, the combination of a vertically movable sleeve, a shaftshiftable axially of said sleeve, a gripping member including a pairV of jaws mounted on said sleeve for 8 movement therewith, camming means connected with said shaft and movable therewith for opening and closing said jaws upon sliding movement of said shaft relative to said sleeve, means for moving said sleeve up and down in a path of predetermined length, means for shifting said shaft axially relative to said sleeve near the ends of said path, and resilient means on said shaft engaging said sleeve for retaining said shaft in the position into which it has been shifted near one end of the path until said sleeve approaches the other end of said path.

6. In a packaging machine, the combination of a vertically movable sleeve, a shaft shiftable axially of said sleeve, a gripping member including a pair of jaws mounted on said sleeve for movement therewith, camming means connected with said shaft and movable therewith for opening and closing said jaws upon sliding movement of said shaft relative to said sleeve, means for moving said sleeve up and down in a path of predetermined length, means for shifting said shaft axially relative to said sleeve near the ends of said path, a pair of axially spaced recesses in said sleeve, resiliently urged means carried by said shaft and alternately engageable in said recesses for retaining said shaft in the position into which it has been shifted near one end of the path until said sleeve approaches the other end of said path.

JOHN CATTONAR. GEORGE OLM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,213,574 Baash Jan. 23, 1917 1,811,832 Mayers June 23, 1931 2,332,058 Cattonar et al Oct. 19, 1943 Grigsby Dec. 12, 1944 

